Lehighton cites costs in turning down Colonial invite

That was the sentiment of the Lehighton Area School District board of directors on Monday night in rejecting an invitation from the Colonial League to join in time for the 2014-15 school year.

The board voted 5-3 with one member absent to accept the recommendation of the school's athletic committee to decline the invite from the Colonial League.

Earlier on Monday night, the board voted 5-3 margin to negate a motion made by board member Larry Stern to table the decision.

But more time probably wouldn't have changed the minds of William Hill Jr., Hal Resh, Wayne Wentz, Thomas Zimmerman and board president Rocky Ahner who seemed adamant that the right thing to do was for Lehighton's athletic teams to compete in the Anthracite League in football and the Schuylkill League in other sports beginning with the 2014-15 school year. Lehighton will compete for one more full season in the Mountain Valley Conference.

Pleasant Valley cited loss of rivalries and concern about district power ranking points in its decision, but Lehighton's decision was based more on the financial impact.

Wentz, who also chaired the athletic committee, provided info that included the fact that the membership fee for the Colonial League is $4,700 as opposed to $700 for the Anthracite/Schuylkill leagues. Also, fees for officials cost $1,000 to $1,500 more for a full year in the Colonial as compared to the Anthracite/Schuylkill.

Also, Wentz received financial figures from the Anthracite League that showed that the average gate receipts for a football game in that league were close to $10,000, while those dollars are not guaranteed in the Colonial League.